This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Using the Edit View

By default, the session opens in the Multitrack View. To change to the Edit View, press the Edit View button (). The loops and files used in the session are displayed in the Files panel along the left side of the display under the Files tab. They are listed in the order specified by the Sort By field at the bottom of the Files panel.

Note

You can also use the keyboard shortcut F12 to switch between the Edit View and the Multitrack View when either of these views is the active window.

In the Edit View, if the Loop Play button () at the bottom of the Files panel is currently highlighted, click on it to deselect it. If the Auto Play button () is highlighted, click it to disable it. Click once on the PhatFunkyBass08-E.cel file in the Files panel and then click the Play button () in the Files panel. The clip plays once from beginning to end.

Click on the Loop Play button () at the bottom of the Files panel to highlight it, and click the Play button.

Double-click the file Tambourine02.cel in the Files panel to view its waveform. Click the Play button () in the Transport panel—not the Play button in the Files panel.

The peaks of the visual waveform represent the loudest sections of the loop. Only a single waveform is displayed because this
is a mono file.

To play the tambourine sample in a loop, click the Play Looped button () in the Transport panel. Wait until it loops once, then press the spacebar to stop playing the file.

Double-click the loop file called KickCymbalRoll01.cel in the Files panel.

Two waveforms are displayed in this file because it is a stereo file. The waveform for the left channel appears at the top and the waveform for the right channel appears at the bottom.

Place the cursor on the white line just above the top waveform display. When the letter “L” appears, click to isolate the
left channel of the loop. The bottom waveform is grayed out, indicating that it is not audible. Press the spacebar to listen to the left channel only.

Depending on the audio setup of your computer, the stereo effect may be more noticeable with a pair of headphones. If you
hear the audio in the right channel and not the left, be sure your speakers or headphones are properly connected.

Note

Clicking on the white line at the bottom of the display will isolate the right channel only. Click in the middle of the display
to restore the clip to its default stereo state.

Sound Fundamentals

Sound is created by vibrations in the air, like those produced by a guitar string, vocal cords, or a speaker cone. These vibrations
force air molecules together, raising the air pressure slightly. The air molecules under pressure then push on the air molecules
surrounding them, which push on the next set of molecules, and so on, causing a wave of high pressure to move through the
air. As high pressure areas move through the air, they leave low pressure areas behind them. When these pressure highs and
lows—or waves—reach us, they vibrate the receptors in our ears, and we hear the vibrations as sound.

When you see a visual waveform that represents audio, it reflects these waves of air pressure. The zero line in the waveform
is the pressure of air at rest. When the line swings up, it represents higher pressure, and when the line swings low, it represents
lower pressure.